Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. NELFT has sites across North East London, Essex, Kent and Medway. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children within these areas.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development, because when you are valued and supported, we provide the best care to our patients. We are a Level 3 Disability Confident Leader, have been featured in the Working Families Top 10 Employers benchmark for five consecutive years, and we have achieved a Carers UK Level 1 Accreditation. Along with our staff networks and training opportunities, we work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture here at NELFT.
Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
Job overview
Joining #TeamNELFT means you’ll become part of a welcoming and supportive working environment. We’re CQC rated Good, and we want you to join us on the journey towards an Outstanding rating. We provide community and mental healthcare services to adults and children.
The Trust has award winning equality and diversity initiatives and staff health and wellbeing activities. We invest heavily in your development and work hard to embed a just and compassionate culture. Find out more about NELFT careers and what makes our Trust a great place to work, in this video
NELFT is the largest provider of Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) in England. Our Southend, Essex and Thurrock services cover 144 schools currently. We currently cover 48% of secondary and primary school within those areas.
The MHST deliver evidence-based individual and group interventions in educational settings for children experiencing mild to moderate mental health difficulties aged 4 to 18 years old. The teams also have a strong focus on whole school approaches to improve mental health outcomes for children and young people.
The MHSTs build on the support already in place from school counsellors, nurses, educational psychologists and the voluntary sector to support those with mild to moderate mental health issues in school and will help children and young people with more severe needs to access the right support and provide a link to the CAMHS services.
Main duties of the job
The post holder will be responsible for delivering interventions within MHSTs in and round schools and colleges whilst receiving clinical supervision.
Act as an autonomous, registered (where appropriate) practitioner who is legally and professionally accountable for own unsupervised actions guided by the professional code of conduct and Trust guidelines and protocols.
Initiate referrals to other health professional specialist services and agencies.
To provide expert emotional wellbeing and mental health support as part of plans to transform CYPs mental health through the NHS Long- Term Plan.
To undertake school based and community-based assessments, risk assessments, care plans and to deliver a range of early interventions to CYP with a range of emotional and behavioural difficulties.
Responsible, and accountable, for service delivery to clients/patients, via NICE compliant pathways and in accordance with the crisis care concordat.
Provide leadership and to promote initiative, creativity and motivation in the MHSTs.
To routinely measure clinical outcomes and deliver evidence-based interventions.
To communicate complex patient related information facilitating positive outcomes and ensuring collaborative working.
To support peers and team leader and be an effective team member whilst working on their own initiative. They will have a commitment to collaborative working and actively support and liaise with other health and social care professionals and agencies.
Working for our organisation
Our Values 2025 - 2030
Working with our colleagues, patients and carers we have co-produced three new values that we aim to embed within our culture here at NELFT.
They are:
1. We are kind.
2. We are respectful.
3. We work together with our communities.
These three values help us to strive to provide the best care by the best people.
Base
The South East Essex MHST have a nominal base of Skyline Plaza in Southend on Sea. As agile workers the successful applicant will be required to travel to various NELFT offices and educational settings across the MHST's.
Probationary Period
This post will be subject to a probationary period for external applicants.
Starting with Us
NELFT places great importance on new starters being properly welcomed into the Trust. All new starters will join the Trust on the first Monday of each month and undertake a comprehensive induction of up to two weeks, including mandatory training, systems training and the allocation of equipment. As part of the process, new starters will also have the opportunity to meet the executive team, senior managers, and attend several drop-in sessions focusing on engagement, health and wellbeing, and key processes. The induction will be held at our head office in Rainham, Essex.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
The South-East Essex Mental Health Support Team (MHST) covers a large geographical area incorporating the districts of Castle Point and Rochford, Canvey, and Southend. We are an early intervention and prevention evidence-based service and as a team we are supportive and passionate in what we deliver. We are a friendly team of professionals who come from multidisciplinary backgrounds. We recognise the needs for a healthy work life balance, and we will consider flexible working applications in line with the trust policies and process. We encourage Continual Professional Development (CPD) and are keen to support our staff to grow and progress. Finally, we are a welcoming, compassionate and considerate team, that work incredibly hard to support one another to improve the mental health of our community.
The post-holder will be a graduate qualified health care professional ( nurse, social worker, occupational therapist), or have completed Education Mental Health Practitioner (EMHP)/Children Wellbeing Practitioner (CWP) qualification and will be fully registered with the appropriate professional or regulatory body ( HCPC, NMC, BPS, BABCP). They will have extensive clinical experience working with Children and Young People (CYP) with emotional wellbeing and mental health difficulties. The successful post holders will have completed or be supported to complete the Senior Wellbeing Practitioner (SWP) course or CYP IAPT Low Intensity Supervisor course.
Please review the person specification and job description for full details.
Certificates of Sponsorship
Although we are a registered sponsor organisation, we are unable to offer sponsorship for all job roles. Please check your eligibility under the UKVI points-based system. When calculating the basic salary for sponsorship, HCAS (High-Cost Area Supplement) is not included to ensure fairness and consistency within our Trust.
Use of AI
Please see attached document regarding acceptable use of AI during the recruitment process.
Person specification
Qualifications
Essential criteria
4. Successful completion of either Education Mental Health Practitioner or CWP PgDip course.
5. Applicant can demonstrate they have applied for Wellbeing Practitioner registration with BABCP or BPS.
Desirable criteria
6. Appropriate registration with either the BABCP or BPS as a Wellbeing Practitioner.
Experience
Essential criteria
7. Experience of the delivery of CBT-informed therapeutic interventions to children, young people, or their families, including as a trainee.
Skills
Essential criteria
8. Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Other
Essential criteria
9. To be able to travel efficiently throughout the area.
Benefits
We believe in bringing your authentic and best self to work, in order to deliver the best care to our patients. We are committed to supporting our employees holistically. Here is a snapshot of what is on offer at NELFT:
10. A long-standing and award-winning approach to equality and diversity with supportive networks for ethnic minority staff, staff with disabilities or long term/chronic conditions and LGBT staff.
11. A commitment to supporting colleagues to achieve a work life balance, through flexible working opportunities and our effortsto support our working parents and carers. This has resulted in us being recognised as a ‘Top 10 Family Friendly Employer’ from the Working Families Charity.
12. Proactive health and wellbeing support, including access to our employee assistance programme, staff psychological support, individual wellbeing conversations and a network of health and wellbeing ambassadors.
13. Detailed information about our wellbeing and benefits offer can be found in this link.
As a flexible working friendly organisation, we want to be sure that you can work in a way that is best for us and for our patients, and for you. Speak to us about how we might be able to accommodate a flexible working arrangement whether that’s a job share, part time hours or another flexible pattern.